Police work to stop Hartford gunfire after seven people are shot — three fatally — in four days

A man who was sitting in this car was injured in a shooting on Brook Street in Hartford early Wednesday. (Provided by Thaddeus Taylor)

The recent spate of shootings in Hartford — seven shooting victims, three of whom died, in four days — is a short-lived crime spike and not a trend, a police official said Wednesday.

“It’s a spike, not a curve,” Lt. Paul Cicero said. Police do not believe the shootings, at least two of which appear to be drug-related, are all connected.

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Still, Mayor Luke Bronin and Chief David Rosado have offered resources to attack the sudden rise in shootings, Cicero said. The police department is reshuffling its staff, “redeploying to areas that have seen spikes in gunfire,” he said.

“Over the past few days, we’ve seen a spike in shootings and our police are working quickly, both to bring shooters to justice and to prevent potential acts of retaliation. It appears that each of these shootings has been a targeted act of violence, stemming from drug disputes or longstanding relationships and feuds," Bronin said in a statement.

He continued: "Our police department will have every resource and tool at their disposal, and they will be working closely with both state and federal law enforcement to bring maximum pressure to bear on anyone involved in these shootings.”

The most recent shooting happened at about 4:20 a.m. Wednesday in front of 179-181 Brook St. in the city’s North End. A man sitting in his car was shot several times, Cicero said. He was in stable condition after surgery.

Neighbor Thaddeus Taylor said he heard seven or eight gunshots and a man yelling, “I got hit, help.” He called 911, and by the time he got off the phone, police were arriving. He later took a picture of a car with its driver’s side door riddled with bullet holes. At least one bullet hit the house.

This house at 179-181 Brook St. in Hartford was hit by a stray bullet when someone fired into a parked car early Wednesday. (Christine Dempsey / Hartford Courant) (Photo by Christine Dempsey/Hartford Courant)

Another neighbor said he saw a motorist shooting at someone in another car in the neighborhood Monday night. Afraid that he could become the next target, he didn’t report it to police, he said. He declined to give his name.

Late Tuesday afternoon, police responded to a shooting in the area of 249 New Britain Ave. in the city’s South End. Richard Kinoshita, 46, of Bristol, was driven to Hartford Hospital, where he later died of a gunshot wound to the upper torso.

A short time later, another shooting victim surfaced in the area of Ashley and Atwood streets, next to St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center. The man was conscious and alert, Cicero said. Investigators are trying to determine if the incident is connected to the New Britain Avenue shooting.

Not far from Ashley Street, shortly before 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, a resident noticed a body in a parking lot of an apartment building at 198 Woodland Drive. The man, Joseph Goiangos, 26, of Middletown, was fatally shot in the chest, Cicero said. He said that homicide is also believed to be drug-related.

Two days earlier, at about 1:45 a.m. Sunday, three people were shot outside Vibz Uptown, 3155 Main St. Jakari Lewis, 28, of the city’s Blue Hills neighborhood, was rushed to St. Francis, where he died. A 28-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman also were shot and were driven to the hospital in a private car. The man was in serious condition, while the woman’s injuries were minor, Cicero said.